Tuesday, April 27, 2004
So you wanna Paint, Do ya??
I was recently asked by [url=http://jenarathbun.tblog.com]jenarathbun[/url] How should she go about starting to paint. I had so much to say on the matter that i thought I'd just do a blog on it. I started painting in watercolors for several reasons. First of all, to buy a full set of watercolors won't put your credit card in the red. They are inexpensive and though you may think the tubes are small- they last [b]FOREVER.[/b] You can get away with cheaper paints without a problem but DO NOT skimp on the paper. Quality paper is so important when learning- great paper can make painting fun and easy While cheap paper makes painting difficult and frustrating- even for those of us who have been painting for years.
[line] [image]islandArtist_941865011.jpg[/image]
[b]A picture of my work space[/b][line]
Good Papers are: Arches (140lb and up) Bockingford (250 lb only) Saunders Waterford (200 lb & up) There are more kinds but these are the best of the economical ones. You will want to purchase a COLD Pressed paper- you will get the best results while learning the following techniques. and your paper should be taped down (on all four sides) to a rigid surface to avoid cockeling (warping) of the paper. Secondly watercolors are less messy- especially if you have little ones around. Most pigments will not stain surfaces or clothes which is really nice cause I am messy. To get started: I reccommend starting with learning the basic watercolor techniques. There are several and a few are; Washes Wet in wet Wet on dry dry brushing burnishing Lost edges and found edges pulling up paint (variations of this are endless) Salt technique (a favorite) If you are an accomplished drawer- try using a india ink pen (available at Micheals in the scrapbooking section) and sketching out a fun drawing and using the watercolors to wash in (I've done some funny random portraits this way except using crayon or acrylic for color). After you have had some practice learning several techniques you can try implementing them into a painting. You can use photos or do an abstract piece- I started with abstract peices so there wasn't so much pressure to have everything just perfect. It took me 10 years to be comfortable enough to attempt portraiture (super hard). But whatever you do, the most important is to paint what feels right to you and have fun, LOTS of fun!! If you guys want any help, pictures of techniques- books to read on painting- drop me a line and I'll be more than happy to help you out. The best way to learn is to teach something and I love sharing. Come on now, don't be shy!! ~jen
| Blogged By islandarts at 6:36 p.m.
